Millionaire Gao's mansion
By Chen Zhaoxiong |
March 29, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE earliest Western garden mansion in Jiading district was in Nanxiang, but soon a cluster of similar houses appeared in Jiading town. The only house of this kind that can be found is in Nandajie Street, which was built by Gao Jian from 1920 to 1925. It has 12 rooms on the ground floor and 8 rooms on the first floor, occupying an area of 1,219 square meters.
The house is in good condition. The owner was originally an intellectual, and later he was engaged in cotton trade but soon made huge profit in the stock market in Shanghai. There was a "Millionaire Yang" in Shanghai in the early 1980s when the stock market in China first re-opened, however, the owner of Gao's house was the old "Millionaire Gao." He invested his money in banking and cotton yarn and built the house in town.
Tao Jiyuan (see below) emulated Gao's successful investment style.
But after 1925, Gao failed several times in the stock market and was nearly bankrupted, so he retired and later died in Jiading.
After 90 years, the house is still standing on the riverside, representing the old style Western garden house in Jiading. If viewed from distance, Western style carvings can be discerned. For a closer look get access through the small lane off Nandajie Street.
There is a yard in front of the house planted with two osmanthus trees. There is little erosion on the surface of the building and the decorative parts are kept in good condition. The original colored glass has been changed into plain glass for plenty of light for later residents.
The long windows embody the cultural combination of the East and West. As the upper part of it is decorated with Western style motifs, the lower part is carved with traditional Chinese patterns. It is really amazing to find the carvings featuring flowers in a vase on the granite. What a job!
Today few people know about the legend of the owner, but the house unwittingly leaves a historical mark of a bygone era.
The house is in good condition. The owner was originally an intellectual, and later he was engaged in cotton trade but soon made huge profit in the stock market in Shanghai. There was a "Millionaire Yang" in Shanghai in the early 1980s when the stock market in China first re-opened, however, the owner of Gao's house was the old "Millionaire Gao." He invested his money in banking and cotton yarn and built the house in town.
Tao Jiyuan (see below) emulated Gao's successful investment style.
But after 1925, Gao failed several times in the stock market and was nearly bankrupted, so he retired and later died in Jiading.
After 90 years, the house is still standing on the riverside, representing the old style Western garden house in Jiading. If viewed from distance, Western style carvings can be discerned. For a closer look get access through the small lane off Nandajie Street.
There is a yard in front of the house planted with two osmanthus trees. There is little erosion on the surface of the building and the decorative parts are kept in good condition. The original colored glass has been changed into plain glass for plenty of light for later residents.
The long windows embody the cultural combination of the East and West. As the upper part of it is decorated with Western style motifs, the lower part is carved with traditional Chinese patterns. It is really amazing to find the carvings featuring flowers in a vase on the granite. What a job!
Today few people know about the legend of the owner, but the house unwittingly leaves a historical mark of a bygone era.
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